Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) Centennial Prize

Eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

• be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in the Faculty of Business and Economics or the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne who has undertaken a degree, specialisation or an individual subject in either faculty.

Selection criteria

To be considered for the AIRC Centennial Prize, the research work (thesis or essay) must be in the area of Industrial Relations or Labour History. These areas are interpreted broadly to include essays or a thesis in any of the following areas:

• industrial relations, employment relations, workplace relations;
• human resource management, personnel administration, careers, and organisational behaviour;
• labour economics and labour market analysis;
• labour law, labour market regulation, including aspects of public policy related to work, social protection and labour market policies, and labour market institutions; or,
• labour history, and the history of work, employment practices, labour markets and labour market institutions.

There is no set word length for submissions, which are encouraged from both undergraduate and graduate students. The work submitted may be developed outside of the assessment for your degree.

The selection of the best research work submitted in 2023 will be based on the quality of the essay or thesis and its relevance to contemporary policy concerns and debates.

Applicants are required to submit an online application which includes the following:

• An essay or thesis in pdf format related to the area of Industrial Relations or Labour History as described in the Selection Criteria. The work submitted may be developed outside of the assessment for your degree.
• A copy of your current Statement of Results (available from the Student Portal)

Please click on the link below to begin your application:

Applicants will be advised of the outcome via email within 8-10 weeks after the closing date.

Australian Industrial Relations Commission

The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) was a national tribunal dealing with employment issues. First established in 1904, when it was known as the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, over the Commission’s long history it was the central institution of Australian labour law, setting minimum terms and conditions of employment for workers within certain industries. While functions evolved between 1904 and 2009, the Commission was the principal regulator of work and labour standards in Australia, and today many of the AIRC’s functions are continued through the Fair Work Commission.

In 2006, to commemorate 100 years of Federal conciliation and arbitration, members of the Commission established a trust funding the Australian Industrial Relations Commission Centennial Prize. For students of the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Business and Economics, the annual prize is selected from the best research work, either essay or thesis, in the field of industrial relations or labour history.